May 15, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Central Astoria Local Development Coalition has announced a full schedule of free summer programming, including fireworks, concerts, and outdoor movie nights— despite ongoing renovations that have rendered Astoria Park’s iconic Great Lawn inaccessible. Central Astoria, a long-standing nonprofit dedicated to preserving and enriching the Astoria community, will kick… Read more »
May 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez touted a number of measures introduced in the recently-approved state budget that will help working families combat inflation but said the budget could have been “bolder” in its efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Gonzalez, who represents areas in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, lauded the… Read more »
May 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien On any given morning, Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria hums with energy—artists welding steel, neighbors walking their dogs, and visitors pausing to admire large-scale artworks taking shape before their eyes. Located at 32-01 Vernon Blvd. along the East River, the 6.25-acre waterfront park is unlike any other green space… Read more »
May 12, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A number of elected officials and community advocates gathered in Astoria Sunday for a street co-naming in honor of former Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer’s late mother, Elizabeth White Marcum. Attorney-General Letitia James, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Member Tiffany Cabán and Assembly Members Jessica González-Rojas and… Read more »
May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Parks Department has removed a fountain in Court Square Park as part of planned renovation work, just one week after hundreds of local residents signed a petition calling for its preservation. The fountain was removed on Thursday as part of a planned $4 million development first outlined in 2019…. Read more »
May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien A Sunnyside pastor is set to release a new book exploring the intersection between queer identity and the Christian faith, offering a “lifeline to millions of people” who have been told to choose between their sexuality and their religion. Rev. Brandan Robertson, pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in Queens, is set… Read more »
May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien An Astoria pastry shop has introduced a “Pope Leo Cookie”, complete with a picture of Pope Leo XIV, in honor of the election of the first-ever American pope. Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago was elected Pope Leo XIV at the Papal Conclave on Thursday, becoming the first US-born pope… Read more »
May 9, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The Long Island City Partnership (LICP) has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a traffic and pedestrian safety study along the Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue corridors. The Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue area, which LICP describes as a “gateway” to Long Island City, is one of the… Read more »
May 7, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Sunnyside Gardens residents say their block has been left in near-total darkness for more than two weeks after the Department of Transportation (DOT) removed several streetlights from 44th Street. According to residents on the block between Skillman Avenue and Barnett Avenue, the DOT removed at least three streetlights around… Read more »
May 6, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Hundreds of Long Island City residents have signed an online petition calling on elected officials and city agencies to halt the planned demolition of the fountain in Court Square Park. The half-acre park, located directly in front of the ornate Long Island City courthouse at 25-10 Court Square, is… Read more »